Water Supply and Sanitation in Slum Settlements of Mumbai, India - Essay Example

Mission Statement: To initiate and design a comprehensive strategy based on the themes of human geography in order to resolve or aid the diminishment of issues related to water supply, sanitation and water-borne diseases being faced by the slum, dweller and squatter communities situated in Mumbai, India by the execution of disease prevention programs, the establishment of medical units on a per community basis and development of small-scale reservoir and dam projects in cooperation with local residents.

Further observations into the issue also indicate that income disparities and inequalities in the distribution of water and provision of sanitation services based on gender also prevail in the communities under focus. Examinations of the service topic signify an association of the aforementioned problems with several areas of human geography such as settlement, population, development, economics, health and culture.

Place:
Assessments into the severe problems posed by the inaccessibility of water in squatter settlements reveal that collection of water for primarily drinking and other household purposes is conducted via limited means. Slum residents have to gather water either through public standpipes or travel considerable distances by foot in search of water that is brought back to their homes in containers. These findings indicate that the major obstacles to enhancing water accessibility to slum occupants are; a shortage of direct water supply through pipelines and dispersed locations of water sources if any are available. To address these issues, the development of local infrastructures such as dams and reservoirs must be undertaken on a small scale. However, the success of these proposals is highly dependent upon the active involvement of the residents themselves throughout the commencement of the project till its implementation.

Effects of Monsoon Climate:
While, the availability of water in slum, dweller and squatter settlements of Mumbai is scarce it is important to note that the limited quantity of water that is eventually consumed by occupants is contaminated. High water contamination levels in poor communities across Mumbai city are a ramification of problems that are associated with restricted and in some cases inexistent sewer, drainage and sanitation facilities. Furthermore, disease outbreaks following heavy monsoon rainfall are caused by the mixing of animal urine with drinking water.

Health Geography:
The grave inequality in the provision of healthcare to poor communities of Mumbai city must be addressed on an immediate basis. The strategy for resolving this aspect of the problem must focus on prevention rather than cure. Initial procedures to tackle health issues prevalent in slums must focus on the establishment of medical clinics and units per community that must eventually be increased in quantity. These medical clinics should not only be assigned the task of treating ill residents but should also provide basic healthcare knowledge, awareness and information to residents. Awareness campaigns must be designed with the view of highlighting the importance of personal hygiene and individual initiatives to combat diseases.

Human Population Control:
Furthermore, community healthcare services should initiate a family planning program owing to increasing birth rates in slum and squatter settlements in Mumbai. The implementation of this plan would consequently lead to a reduction in child mortality rates and risk of diseases in pregnant women. Moreover, it is also understood that population control would lead to an enhancement in the quality of healthcare services by reducing the burden on medical professionals. However, the execution of a family planning program must be performed after conducting extensive research on the cultural beliefs of residents who may be unwilling to participate in such programs. Local professionals, analysts and researchers are likely to prove helpful in the effective implementation of community health services.

Disease Prevention:
The execution of disease prevention programs would have to be conducted with respect to the characteristics of the Indian culture. As much of the manual efforts in water collection are expended by women, separate disease prevention programs that are conducted by female instructors must be designed for women keeping in view the cultural restrictions on male and female interaction in illiterate and conservative populations. Additionally, the language of instruction for all awareness campaigns must be Hindi.
Conclusion:

The alarming state of the residents who are occupying the slums of Mumbai commands that an immediate, effective and practical step be taken to address and resolve the major issues being faced by the city’s poor communities. The application of geographic themes in this plan has allowed for the incorporation of cultural and economic aspects with the factors associated with development, population and settlements to produce strategies that can hopefully yield positive results for the betterment of these communities.